The Gambia Safe
The Gambia is calm and easy, and the main nuisance is the one the UK FCDO names: "bumsters", young men on the beaches who offer to guide, befriend or sell. Most are after a little business. A friendly, firm "no thank you" said once works better than ignoring them or arguing; official guides carry an ID badge from the Gambia Tourism Board, so ask to see it. Do not take valuables to the beach. The Atlantic here has strong currents — swim where there is a lifeguard. The roads are potholed and badly lit after dark, and the Banjul–Barra ferry is the one piece of transport to think twice about.
Comfortable: Senegambia Strip · Kotu · Fajara · Kartong
- Kololi Beach — bumsters offering guiding and friendship; a firm, friendly no works
- Isolated beaches, markets and crowded events, especially at night, which the UK FCDO names for petty theft
- Serrekunda Market — pickpockets in the crowd
- The Atlantic along this coast, which has strong currents — swim where there is a lifeguard
- Banjul–Barra ferry — often overloaded and without life-saving equipment, the UK FCDO says
